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Albyn reached for her bag. “It will be too damp on the mountain to coax a fire into life. I’ll carry this for you, my lady. Now, let’s be gone before Garrick can trouble you any further. I’ll ride to the mountain with you, return your mounts to the stable, and then bring them out with me again in the morning.”
As Oriana preceded them down the stairs, Albyn caught Egan’s eye. “She has no real idea how bad the weather can be, and though this is no true test of anything, I know you’ll take excellent care of her.”
“I’ll do much better than that,” Egan vowed. He still used his hands to guide himself down the stairs, but he was so eager to be with Oriana, he would have agreed to stay with her anywhere.
Because the real excitement would not come until morning, the majority of Egan’s kin were content to bid him and Oriana farewell from the bailey. Garrick had been so gratified by the ready acceptance of his challenge, his mouth was set in a contented smirk. He stood beside the gate as Egan and his bride rode out, followed by Albyn, Yowan’s sons, Neal, and several other Druids dispatched to observe.
Eager to accompany them, Kieran leaped astride his horse and followed. He caught some curious glances, but urged his mount into a canter, and quickly overtook Egan and Oriana. He circled them once, then took up a place behind them with Albyn.
“I want no part of this, Egan,” he shouted loud enough for all to hear. “I’ll keep watch at the gate tonight and make certain your only problems come from the mountain.”
“Then I’ll have to watch you,” Albyn vowed darkly.
In the distance, a lingering smoke trail marked the smoldering remains of Kieran’s wing. He was no happier than a heap of ashes himself, but he accepted Albyn’s insult with a good-natured grin. “I’ll welcome the company.”
Oriana glanced over her shoulder and quickly judged Kieran’s expression as sincere. “Thank you for your concern,” she called to him.
“Thank me at dawn,” he replied. When Egan failed to add either his gratitude or a warning, Kieran tapped his mount with his heels and rode off the way he had come.
Albyn did not look forward to spending the night beside Kieran, but the belief Egan and Oriana had something far worse in store silenced his complaint. When they reached the base of Mount Royal, he scanned the mountain for a stand of timber sufficient to build a small cabin.
“Do you see a place where the trees grow beside the trail?” he asked.
Rather than fell a tree on the mountainside, where it would simply roll down into the valley, Egan had decided instead to hack off all the sturdy limbs he could reach. “We’ll be fine. Take our mounts to the fortress and tell everyone we’ve stopped to
sing and dance before beginning our climb.”
Neal caught the eye of another Druid and shook his head emphatically. “None of us is leaving until you’re well on your way up the trail.”
“How considerate,” Egan responded. “Would you care to climb with us, Neal?”
Neal stuffed his hands up into his sleeves and thrust out his lower lip. “No, of course not.”
Oriana slid off her mare’s back before Egan reached her. She slung her tent over her shoulder while he carried the heavier bag of provisions and clothes. “There was no mention of how far up the mountain we have to go,” she observed quietly.
Egan was pleased she possessed such a keen ear, but he was intent upon locating the best place to build rather than merely a convenient one. “Our only concern is to find a wide, flat stretch on the trail. Let me lead the way.”
Without bidding anyone farewell, Egan slid the ax into his belt, rested Oriana’s travel bag on his shoulder, and started up the trail. It had seemed awfully steep that morning, but after his previous exertion, the going proved tortuous. He paused frequently to make certain Oriana was keeping up, but she was right behind him the whole way.
As soon as he had caught his breath, he explained, “We want the mountain between us and the sea.”
“I understand.” But she was intent upon the strain in Egan’s gaze rather than the rugged terrain. “Do you need to stop for a while and rest?”
Egan nodded toward the men below on horseback. “Wait until they leave; then, if I have to, I’ll lie down.”
“What about the ledge where you jumped off this morning? It’s at least angled toward the lee side of the mountain. Would it make a good place to build?”
“I’d hoped we’d not have to climb that high. Come on, let’s keep moving and watch for something better.”
Oriana feared his side was throbbing with every step, and she reached out to catch hold of his tunic. “You need to pace yourself. Rest as often as you wish, and then you’ll have the strength to help me build a shelter.”
Touched by her tender concern, Egan bent down to kiss her soundly. “A king does not bow to an annoying twinge in his side,” he breathed out against her lips. “I agreed to this ridiculous demand not only to silence the fools who wouldn’t recognize a queen if she knocked upon their door, but also to speed my coronation. The instant the ceremony is complete, there will be no mistaking my power. Now cease to worry about me, and let’s be on our way.”
He continued up the trail with renewed vigor, and Oriana cared little whether it was anger or determination that had lengthened his stride; she was eager to follow. She paused frequently to glance down into the valley and was greatly relieved when the men who had been observing their progress turned back toward the fortress.
Then as she hastened to catch up with Egan, the trail he had just passed over crumbled away beneath her. Thrown off balance as she lost her footing, she clawed at the mountainside, but all around her the rock dissolved into jagged shards, and she fell into a dangerous slide.
Egan heard the trail break away, and spun in a wild lunge to grab Oriana before she tumbled all the way down the mountain. He caught only the edge of her cloak, and it pulled away along with the folded tent. He shook them off to seize hold of her flying hair and then quickly transferred his grasp to her tunic; equally frantic, she reached up and clung to his arm.
